106] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



mizen mast being then shot away, 

 slie fell off, and many of her star- 

 board guns were brought to bear. 

 The two ships were now brought 

 broadside to broadside, and both 

 continued to fight for some time 

 in this position. The Constitution 

 then made sail a-head out of gun- 

 shot, to repair her damages, leav- 

 ing the Java a wreck, with only 

 the main-mast standing, and that 

 tottering. Every attempt was how- 

 ever made to put her in a state for 

 renewing the action, but the main- 

 mast fell over the side, and the 

 starboard guns were nearly all c-o- 

 vered. The enemy now standing 

 forwards to make an attack, and 

 preparing to take a raking position, 

 Mr. Chads, the first lieutenant, 

 consulted his officers whether, in 

 their disabled condition, with great 

 part of the crew killed or wounded, 

 it would be justifiable to waste 

 more lives in continuing a fruitless 

 defence. The result was, that they 

 agreed in the painful necessity of 

 striking their colours ; and their 

 victor, commodore Bainbridge, 

 gave a testimony of the desperate 

 state to which their ship was re- 

 duced, by ordering her to be set 

 on fire as soon as the wounded 

 were removed. The loss on board 

 the Java was very severe in officers 

 and men, and the gallant captain 

 Lambert died in consequence of 

 his wounds a few days after, and 

 was interred with all military ho- 

 nours in fort St. Pedro. The loss 

 on board the Constitution was also 

 considerable. The respective force 

 of the ships was, Java, guns, 46 ; 

 weight of metal, lOSilb. ; crew 

 and supernumeraries, 377 : Con- 

 stitution, guns, 55 ; weight of me- 

 tal, 1490; crew, 480. It scarcely 

 needs be added, after this relation, 



that the surviving officers of the 

 Java were most honourably ac- 

 quitted of blame for the surrender 

 of their ship. 



An action in which a serious loss 

 was sustained, with no othfer ad- 

 vantage than the gallant repulse 

 of a superior foe, occurred in an 

 engagement between his majesty's 

 ship Amelia, the hon. capt. Irbj', 

 and a French frigate, off the coast 

 of Africa. Capt. Irby, being about 

 to quit Sierra Leone river at the 

 close of January, was informed by 

 lieut. Pascoe, of the Daring, gun- 

 brig, that he had been obliged to 

 run his vessel on shore, and blow 

 her up, in consequence of being 

 chased by a French frigate, which, 

 with two consorts, he had left 

 at anchor off the De Loss islanc^. 

 Capt. Irby dispatched lieut. Pas- 

 coe to reconnoitre, who brought 

 intelligence that the force of the 

 enemy was two frigates of the 

 largest class, L'Arethuse and Le 

 Rubis, with a Portuguese ship, 

 their prize. Capt. Irby, thereupon, 

 determined to cruize off those 

 islands in order to fall in with any 

 other English ships of war that 

 might be coming down the coast, 

 and protect the trade to Sierra 

 Leone. One of the French fri- 

 gates stood out to sea on Feb. 6th, 

 and on the next day the olher 

 stood towards the Amelia, which 

 had been lying off the island of 

 Tamara in the night. Capt. Irby, 

 with the hope of drawing her from 

 her consort, continued standing to 

 sea till sun-set, when, not perceiv- 

 ing the other ship from the mast- 

 head, he shortened sail, wore, and 

 stood to her. At 45 minutes past 

 seven, p. m. the two antagonists 

 began firing within pistol shot, 

 and the action continued till 21 



